Kristin Hopkins-Calcek knew that when former President Trump mentioned the Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, her town could be the next one in his sights.<\/p>\n
The comment came during Trump\u2019s September 10 debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, in which Trump falsely claimed that Haitian migrants there were \u201ceating the pets of the people that live there.\u201d Hopkins-Calcek, the borough-council president of Charleroi, Pennsylvania, said that as the town\u2019s leadership watched the ensuing events in Springfield unfold, they began preparing, in case something did happen.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was worried it was coming, because I knew the people that would you know would reference Charleroi in order to add to the narrative about immigrants being such a negative in this country,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Then it happened: on September 12, in a rally in Tucson, Arizona, Trump used Charleroi as another example of what he and his base believe is a \u201cmigrant invasion\u201d in the United States.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat a beautiful name, but it\u2019s not so beautiful now,\u201d he said about Charleroi. \u201cIt has experienced a 2,000 percent increase in the population of Haitian migrants under Kamala Harris. So, Pennsylvania, remember this when you go to vote. This is a small town, and all of a sudden they got thousands of people \u2026 The town is virtually bankrupt. This flood of illegal aliens is bringing massive crime to the town and every place near it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn’t completely surprised,\u201d Hopkins-Calcek remembered. \u201cWe were fearful that it was going to come to Charleroi because we knew we had a similar situation [to Springfield]. But it’s incredulous, right? You don’t think that it will, until it does.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Trump used Charleroi as an example in multiple rallies since. Hopkins-Calcek says that none of it is true.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe haven’t had any violence. In fact, our crime is down,\u201d she said. \u201cOur statistics are looking great here in town. Our economy is better. We have businesses that are opening.\u201d<\/p>\n
The comments \u2013 lies \u2013 about migrants in the United States have been a focal point of all of Donald Trump\u2019s campaign rallies, as well as other \u201cMAGA\u201d politicians, from eating pets in Springfield to gang violence in Aurora, Colorado. This weekend at a rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Trump\u2019s senior advisor for policy Stephen Miller told the crowd that \u201cAmerica is for Americans and Americans only\u201d \u2013 echoing Adolf Hitler\u2019s 1934 cry to the German people that \u201cGermany is for Germans and Germans only.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump himself repeated previous claims of a \u201cmigrant invasion,\u201d saying, \u201cthe United States is now an occupied country\u201d and that Vice President Kamala Harris \u201chas resettled [immigrants] into your communities to prey upon innocent American citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n
Professor Jacob Shapiro, Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University, says that politicians like Trump know better than to spread lies about migrants, but it\u2019s all for \u201cpolitical purposes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s lying for political gain,\u201d he explained. \u201cHe takes nuggets of truth to make exaggerated points.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for Trump\u2019s supposed plan to deport all migrants, illegal and legal, Shapiro says it\u2019s all part of the scheme.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a fantasy plan to stave off unfavorable realities,\u201d Shapiro said, alluding to sociologist Lee Clarke\u2019s book \u201cMission Improbable.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s unrealistic, but it sounds good to his people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hopkins-Calcek has a theory about why her town was targeted by Trump.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u200b\u200bThere are some people who have ties to the Republican Party that are in this area, and I’m sure that’s how the word of this got out,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd unfortunately, there are no guard rails, right? So in this day and age, it just doesn’t matter who’s hurt by things. If it gets votes or sows division, then it’s allowable and supported by Trump and the Republican Party.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHis entire campaign has been about fear mongering and division and misinformation. So [Charleroi] was another tool,\u201d she continued. \u201cWe\u2019re not happy that our town is being used, not only for political gain through the immigration discussion, but also through the job loss discussion.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s lies have been harmful to the migrants and their advocates. Hopkins-Calcek says that the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups have distributed flyers in town. She says that the town has liaisons with the different migrant communities, and that the liaison for the Haitian community \u201chas let them know that it’s probably best if they keep it more low key.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s an undercurrent of fear,\u201d she said. \u201c[White supremacist groups] have been given a pass, you know, because of the comments that were made to show their ugliness.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her comments echo previous comments from Pastor Carl Ruby, an advocate for Haitian migrants in Springfield previously, who previously described the situation in Springfield: \u201cI think there were a total of somewhere between 30 and 50 bomb threats. Schools canceled, hospitals closed, grocery stores closed. \u2026 Everyone was nervous. People are afraid. My family is very afraid. Some people have been afraid to come to church because of the publicity that I have had as a spokesman for the Haitians.\u201d<\/p>\n
The migrants arrived in Charleroi \u2013 legally \u2013\u00a0and took jobs that weren\u2019t being taken. They came from all over, from Haiti to Liberia. Now, Hopkins-Calcek says, they\u2019ve become a \u201cwonderful\u201d part of the Charleroi community.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u200b\u200bWe’ve been working to slowly integrate their culture into ours, and we had a very successful year in that we’ve incorporated their culture and music into our thorough events throughout the last not only the last year, but the last few years,\u201d she explained. \u201cI have never in my entire life met a group of people that are so kind, nice, loving, happy and want to belong. Want to follow the rules of law. Want to follow the culture. Want to change their culture, to fit in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite all of the hate that has been directed at her community, Hopkins-Calcek also has hope for a peaceful future for Charleroi.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’re way behind the rest of the country as far as being tolerant of things and people that don’t look like ourselves,\u201d she said. \u201cJust because we’re behind doesn’t mean we’re not going to get there. We’re just hopeful that, moving forward, we can all live in peace.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kristin Hopkins-Calcek knew that when former President Trump mentioned the Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, her town could be the next one in his sights. The comment came during Trump\u2019s September 10 debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, in which Trump falsely claimed that Haitian migrants there were \u201ceating the pets of the people that<\/p>\n